Pak demands joint probe to accurately establish facts on 'accidental firing'

Pakistan on Saturday said it was not satisfied with Indias simplistic explanation on the accidental firing of a missile that landed in Pakistans Punjab province and demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incidentForeign Office spokesperson said Pakistan has taken note of the Press Statement by the Indias Press Information Bureaus Defence Wing regretting the accidental firing of the Indianorigin missile into Pakistani territory on March 9 due to technical malfunction and the decision to hold a highlevel Court of InquiryThe Foreign Office said that the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorised missile launch in a nuclearised environmentSuch a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities it said adding that some of the questions should be answeredIndian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident it saidIndia must explain the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident the FO said adding that India must clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistani territoryThe Indian missile landed near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistans Punjab province on Wednesday evening without causing damage to civilian propertyIt is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan While the incident is deeply regrettable it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident Indias Ministry of Defence said in a statement on FridayPakistan also sought the flight pathtrajectory of the accidentally launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into PakistanIt asked if the missile was equipped with a selfdestruct mechanism and why it failed to actualise It further asked India if its missiles were kept primed for launch even under routine maintenanceWhy did India fail to immediately inform Pakistan about the accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge till after Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification the FO askedIt also said that India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elementsPakistan said the whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in Indias handling of strategic weaponsGiven the short distances and response times any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to counter measures in selfdefence with grave consequences the Foreign Office notedPakistan also called upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearised environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region the FO concludedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever